Hello all! If you had this story on alert, I just wanted to mention that I completely overhauled the prologue. Please make sure you go back and re-read it. Thank you for reading, and thank you to my WONDERFUL betas! Onwards!
"This isn't right," the Doctor kept muttering under his breath, diving around the console and tweaking various devices.
"Obviously, Doctor," Rose replied. "So, what's going on? Alien influence? Time Agents? Something mucking about with history?"
"I don't know," he said. "It doesn't feel like anything is off, but this can't be! No Earth civilization has this kind of technology before the twenty-second century. Certainly not without there being something terribly, terribly wrong."
"But you'd know if there was something else going on?"
"It would be a weak point, I'd be able to sense it," he answered, finally ceasing in his motions and turning to face her. He leaned back against the console and rubbed his hands over his face. "Just feels like any old normal day."
"There's something weird going on, that's for sure," Rose told him, mirroring his stance but leaning against the railing opposite him. "Why don't we go look around? Ask the locals?"
He peeked out from behind his hands, a smile beginning to form on his face. "We could do that, yeah…"
His delight was contagious, and instantly Rose found herself grinning back. "Would make more sense than sitting around here just talking about how impossible everything is."
"It would," he conceded.
Rose reached her hand out for his, her smile widening when he readily grasped it. "Unless, of course…you're not feeling up for an adventure…"
"Rose Tyler!" the Doctor exclaimed, eyes glinting with mischief as he tugged her closer to him. "What exactly are you implying?"
"Nothing!" she replied, grinning at him with her tongue caught between her teeth. "Just though you might be in the mood for a little…you know…R&R! Man of your advancing years…"
"Oh, I'll show you advancing years," the Doctor practically growled, pushing off from the console and tugging Rose down the ramp. He grabbed his coat off the railing on the way out the door and let go of her hand just long enough to tug it on, despite the blast of warm, sultry air that hit them as soon as they stepped onto the sand.
Grasping Rose's hand back in his, he began strolling casually up to the ornate, gilded gate. There was an attendant on the other side who began to rise from his seated position as they approached.
Rose gasped as the person unfolded from the small chair. He had to be at least two feet taller than she was, with light, almost translucent skin, nearly white hair and clear blue eyes. He was dressed in whites and tans, clearly a uniform of some kind, and he was looking at the pair of them with great interest.
"Blessed Day, sir. Miss," he offered politely and Rose had to gasp at the smooth, lilting quality to his voice. "How can I be of assistance?"
"Hello!" the Doctor greeted jovially. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose."
The attendant frowned. "Doctor? Are you…here to see Dr. Greene?"
The Doctor glanced at Rose with a raised eyebrow, before reaching into his pocket and flipping open the psychic paper. "Yep, that's us! The Doctor and Rose Tyler. Dr. Greene should be expecting us."
"Oh! Apologies, sir. We were under the impression you would arrive several cycles from now, though the Council will be pleased to see you've come so quickly."
"Well…that's me! Mr. Punctuality!"
Rose snorted.
"I'm Elias, by the way, Dr. Tyler, Mrs. Tyler. I'll raise the gate for you immediately."
"Oh, no we're not…" Rose began, but Elias had already scuttled back to a small set of controls. She watched in amazement as what appeared to be a metal gate began rolling up like a newspaper.
"Oh, now that's brilliant!" the Doctor crooned. ""Micro-articulated carbon fiber alloy. In a decorative shade of gold."
"Well they get points for design," Rose muttered. They passed through the gateway, and Rose shivered as it felt like tiny bristles brushed against her skin.
"Energy shield," the Doctor murmured in her ear, glancing around at the bustling metropolis they'd just entered. Elias's features seemed to be representative of the vast majority of citizens. They all shared the same build as well as the same light skin, hair, and eyes. A few stood out with dark hair and large, dark eyes, though they were in a noticeable minority. "Most likely how they manage not to get sunburned. Look how light their skin is…no natural defenses against radiation."
Rose was awe-struck at the sight before her. The city was an odd juxtaposition of organic, natural-looking stone buildings and large, impressive metal-and-glass structures. Though the occasional hovercraft zipped by, there were no vehicles actually in the streets. Instead, most of the citizens were walking, wearing various types of clothing that looked hand-made. Many were carrying what seemed to be plates and cloth sacks of seed, fruits, and vegetables.
"Are they even human?" Rose murmured. "Maybe they came to Earth and brought all this technology?"
The Doctor regarded Rose for a moment, before surreptitiously removing the sonic screwdriver from his coat and running it over a passer-by. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open in shock when he saw the reading.
"What?" Rose asked. "Where are they from?"
"Earth, Rose," the Doctor choked out. "Their origins are completely terrestrial. No energy signatures from any other planet I've ever known. What's more is…they're not even human at all! They're not an early version, not highly evolved or even de-volved. They have a completely different genome from you. They should be alien but...they've been on Earth as long as humans have!"
"Come on! You're full of it!"
"I promise you," he replied, his face completely serious as he peered over the top of his thick-rimmed glasses. "I am not full of it."
"If you have no idea who they are, how can we understand them? Aren't you part of the translation circuit? How can we be speaking their language if you've never seen them before?"
The Doctor's serious face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh, Rose, you do ask the brilliant questions. You wouldn't be able to tell, but they're speaking an ancient Egyptian dialect, leading me to believe that they all have had some contact with humans. Perhaps they trade, perhaps they simply study. Either way, it must be very limited contact, thinking that all humans speak the dialect. The question is…where are we that would trade and study with Ancient Egypt?"
Rose stared at him for a moment before casually calling Elias over from the control booth.
"Yes, Mrs. Tyler?"
Rose winced internally at being addressed just like her mother, but put on a friendly smile for the young attendant. "Just Rose, thanks. Listen, this big lug over here…" she shoved the Doctor affectionately with her shoulder, jarring his attention away from the bustling streets to give her a soft grin. "...is being all secretive, treating this like it's some surprise vacation! Could you please tell me where I am?"
Elias put on a winning smile. "Of course, Mrs...er...Rose." He cleared his throat and straightened up, puffing out his broad chest and beginning what was surely a well-rehearsed script. "Welcome, visitors! You have just embarked on the greatest journey you will ever take! Look around and take it all in, the great, majestic, and beautiful Isle of Atlantis!"
They both stared at him for a moment before the Doctor slowly regained his capacity for speech. "You're kidding me!" He barked out a laugh. "Atlantis? The Atlantis? Famous, famed, fantastic, absolutely-and-completely lost City and Island of Atlantis?"
"Sir?" Elias questioned, frowning.
"And here I thought there had only been three!" he continued, ignoring Elias and draping an arm around Rose's shoulders. "Been to them all, of course! But then, that was thousands of years from now. Explains how I had no idea this particular Atlantis even existed!" He dropped his voice to a murmur and leaned in close to Rose's ear. "Also explains why there are no 7-foot-tall Atlanteans spreading this technology to the ancient world and beyond. No matter where or when, Atlantis is a fixed point in time. It always, always sinks."
He pulled back, an expression Rose knew all too well gracing his handsome features. He was already mourning the loss of the wonderful new species, the beautiful land, and the incredible civilization. She felt a pang of sorrow and reached up to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.
"Everything has its time, yeah?"
He noisily blew out a breath. "Yeah," he agreed quietly, turning his attention back to Elias, who was regarding them curiously. "So, Mr. Elias, thank you for the warm welcome! Is Dr. Greene expecting us?"
"I sent word ahead, Dr. Tyler. She is on the first floor of the Institute, the tall building, just there?" He pointed, and they were able to make out an imposing, sturdy stone structure in the distance. "Just past Reemar's produce stand. All though, don't expect to purchase anything today! The Reemars are helping to prepare the food for our Harvest Festival tonight. I do hope you join us, the Goddess has blessed us once again with perfect weather and a bountiful crop!"
"Ah, well, we will have to make an appearance!" He squeezed Rose to him briefly before dropping his arm from her shoulder to grip her hand. "Blessed day to you and yours, Elias!"
"And yours, sir!" he replied before turning back to his control booth and lowering the gate behind them.
The Doctor turned to Rose, his eyes twinkling. "Well...care to accompany me to the Institute, Mrs. Tyler?"
Rose rolled her eyes but found she was unable to contain her smile. "I'm so gonna kill you. Lead on, Doctor Tyler."
The pair walked hand-in-hand through the bustling streets, Rose's neck craning as she tried to take in every drop, every bit of culture she could. They were attracting attention as well, citizens stopping them every so often to shake hands heartily and welcome them to Atlantis. They seemed fascinated by Rose, petite and slim as she was and the fact that her hair was nearly as light as theirs, but her eyes dark like their occasional human visitors.
When Rose asked, rather bluntly, what they called themselves, since they referred to both Rose and the Doctor as humans, one delighted young girl laughed out loud and told them, "Why, we're Atlaneans, of course!"
"Of course," the Doctor answered, smiling at the young woman and bidding her farewell as they continued on their way. "They're Atlanteans, Rose!"
"Oh, shut up!" she chided good-naturedly. "'S weird, but whenever I pictured Atlantis, I always thought it was like the place those Amazing Sea Monkeys lived, you know?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "Rose, those are freeze-dried brine shrimp, brought back to life by adding water. Not Atlanteans."
"All right, Doctor Tyler. Just for that, you're sleeping on the sofa tonight."
The Doctor chuckled, bumping his shoulder against hers affectionately until Rose cracked a smile as well. They chatted amiably the rest of the way, the Doctor pointing out various aspects of architecture, dress, or even the lilting strains of song that could have influenced later cultures. The walk was a bit long, but the time passed quickly as they strolled hand-in-hand and absorbed as much of the culture around them as they could.
Once they finally entered the imposing structure, labeled "The Atlantis Institute for Research and Advancement," the Doctor strode purposefully up to the reception desk.
"Hello!" he greeted. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler, here to see Dr. Greene. I believe she's expecting us?"
"Yes, sir," the bright young woman replied. "Just down the hall, fourth door on the left. You may have to knock loudly, she often gets absorbed in her research."
"I'll be sure to do that," he grinned at the receptionist, who flushed prettily as they left the desk.
Once they were out of earshot, Rose elbowed him gently, her grin belying the gentle chastising of her words. "Oi, you want to reign in on the flirting? You're a married man now."
He returned her smile. "Am I? Was I at this wedding?"
"Oh, yes," Rose teased. "You got spectacularly drunk and vomited in Great Auntie Muriel's wig. Then you spent half an hour in tears, telling my mum how much you loved her cooking. Was a bit embarrassing, really…and I didn't even get a nice piece of jewelry out of it."
"Hmmm…" he said, his smile soft as he patted the pockets of his coat. His eyes lit up and he reached inside, drawing out a small gold ring in the process. "Not exactly jewelry…but will a biodamper do in a pinch?"
"Boy, you sure know how to charm a girl."
The Doctor beamed at her, raising their clasped hands and sliding the ring onto her finger. "There, it blocks your biological signature and doubles as a lovely trinket. Don't tell me I don't know how to treat a woman."
"Oh, yeah," Rose bantered, admiring the thin band on her finger. "Love the slightly rusty finish."
"Oi! I'll have you know that is not rust…it's…gold dust…"
Rose snorted out a laugh, and the Doctor knocked at door number four with a dramatic flourish. He moved his hand to the knob, expecting to be told to enter, but heard no response. He knocked harder, as instructed, and still there was nothing but silence from the other side. With an exasperated look at Rose, he pounded his fist firmly against the wood.
Finally, a pleasant voice called out, "Come in!"
"Thought that was what we were trying to do," the Doctor grumbled, pushing open the door and gesturing to Rose to enter first.
She gasped at the first sight of the bright, airy laboratory. It was incredible, like nothing she'd ever seen on all of their travels. The Doctor was already off like a shot, specs on and admiring the various, complicated-looking equipment that was resting on the hand-made lab tables. They were wooden, still retaining the natural look of the trees and contrasting attractively with the shining technology atop them. Vines snaked all across the room and entwined over the tables, spouting from various beakers placed all around the room. The windows were huge, letting in ample sunshine even though the room was equipped with some sort of artificial light source in the ceiling. The bulbs reminded Rose of her modern fluorescents, though they were tinged with yellow instead of the basic white she was used to. They were currently off, obviously not needed with the sunlight blazing in from every direction.
The contrast of the room was incredible; the natural feel of the furnishings and the décor should have been in direct opposition with the complex-looking technology that was scattered everywhere. Somehow, it all fit seamlessly together. Rose could tell that the Doctor was also impressed, busy as he was with inspecting any bit of equipment he could.
"Rose, come look at this…" He beckoned her over, placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her to one of the machines. "Do you have any idea what this is?"
Rose squinted at the impressive, shining piece of equipment before turning to the Doctor with a teasing grin. "I dunno…hair dryer?"
He sighed. "That, Rose Tyler, is an early version of a Gaalattan mitosic stasis generator, meant to prevent crystallization in dormant protein structures." He leaned in a bit closer and dropped his voice. "I haven't seen one of those since I mistakenly landed on Colombia's black market in 5274. So, the question is…what is it doing here?"
"Well observed, Dr. Tyler."
The pair spun around, facing a young, dark-haired woman. She was obviously Atlantean, though with the rare dark hair and eyes they'd seen on a few of the citizens. She was also rather petite, by Atlantean standards, still several inches taller than the Doctor . Her long hair was pulled off her face, and she was dressed in a shockingly contemporary manner in a white lab coat, white blouse, and simple black skirt.
"The Council has done well in summoning you," the woman smiled kindly and came over to extend her hand. "Dr. Leyla Greene. Thank you for answering our request so quickly."
The Doctor shook her hand enthusiastically. "Of course. Brilliant, absolutely wonderful to meet you, Dr. Greene. This is Rose," he gestured to her and Dr. Greene reached to shake her hand as well. "Your laboratory is…impressive…very, very impressive."
She beamed. "That means a great deal, coming from you, Doctor. I cannot stress enough how greatly we value your expertise in the manner. May I show you to the pods?"
"Lead on!" he grasped Rose's hand in his and followed Dr. Greene out of the laboratory. The halls of the Institute were nothing special, but Rose was glad for the cool tile of the floors and the plain stone walls, as they kept the area at a comfortable temperature even as they climbed the stairwell. As they made their way through the building, Dr. Greene spouted some background information, mainly a general history of the continent, and began relaying information about their battle with creatures she only referred to as the Black.
"They came from nowhere, it seemed," Dr. Greene told them. "We had human allies who escaped immediately in their ships, convinced that we had drawn the anger of their deity, Anubis. The Black are frightening. Our troops managed to keep them at bay, but the Council vowed never again to face this risk." She turned to the Doctor, her dark eyes sharp and focused. "That is where you come in. Our motto, as Atlanteans, is to Stay Alive. We must, above all, prevail, even when all hope seems lost. Do you not agree, Doctor?"
"Survival," the Doctor mused. "Very basic instinct, Dr. Greene. We all have it, from the smallest amoebas to the most developed life forms. So what have you done to ensure yours?"
Dr. Greene glanced back at them, confused, but still not breaking her stride. "Did the Council not brief you on the assignment?"
"Oh, they were a bit…vague on the details," the Doctor waved his free hand casually. "Thought it might be best to hear it from the expert anyway. Don't you think, Rose?"
"Oh…yes, definitely. Always want to hear it from the experts. Right from the source, after all."
Dr. Greene smiled at Rose. "And what of you, Mrs. Tyler? Do our ventures interest you?"
Rose glared at the Doctor, who smiled charmingly back and squeezed her hand. "Oh, yes, Dr. Greene. Fascinating stuff, really."
"Then I am glad to be sharing this with both of you." They had reached the end of a hallway, Dr. Greene keying in a code to open a sliding door. Inside the room were individual chambers, standing side-by-side against the walls, each opaque except for a small circular portal near the top. They seemed innocent enough to Rose, but the Doctor's shocked expression was enough to tell her that they were anything but.
"How on Earth do you have this sort of technology?" he breathed, sliding his specs on and moving quickly to one of the pods, removing his sonic to scan over one of the control panels. "This is…unfathomable, for your time…"
"Our human allies were slow to grasp onto our science," Dr. Greene continued to explain. "Medical studies have shown a significant difference in how much our cerebral usage differs. Still, it is no matter. What we have here can ensure our survival, but we need your help, Dr. Tyler, to make it so."
"What's going on?" Rose asked, sidling up next to the Doctor. "What are all the pods for?"
The Doctor looked at Rose, his expression grave. "These are cryogenic chambers, Rose."
"Cryogenic?"
"We will enter our pods at a designated time," Dr. Green continued. "All citizens are assigned one. They will close and we will be frozen in a stasis mode. The Black are creatures of pure radiation with a half-life of a thousand centuries. We must ensure that the bodies can be sustained until the threat of the radiation has passed."
Rose's eyes widened. "So…you're gonna…freeze yourselves? For ten thousand years?"
"Yes," she replied. "We must survive, at all costs. Our society is too great to lose. We are Atlantis." She paused, fixing a gaze of dark intensity on the Doctor and Rose. "And we must Stay Alive."